Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

Probably one of the cheapest places to hike is just off north of the metro is Mt. Balagbag. Straddling between the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal, Mt. Balagbag offers an amazing view of the vast area of the metropolis.

The mountain can be reached by foot but 4x4s are able to reach the summit of the mountain. This makes the mountain ideal for camping for families who would like to venture into a different kind of family bonding.

Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

There are three registration areas going up. The first registration area is as soon as you enter the road leading to the trail. You do not need to pay anything here, but a donation can be made for the cause of the people who are “taking care of the area”. The second registration is at the community hall where they ask for Php 10. About an hour for there the third registration are is found where you would have to pay Php 20.

Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

From the last registration area, the hike up the mountain is just about 30 – minutes.

If you are doing a sunrise or sunset day hike be sure to bring extra cash. The public transport’s end time schedule is quite unpredictable and you might need to rent habal-habal or a jeep if you aren’t able to catch the last trip going back.

How To Get To Mt. Balagbag

From Mc. Arthur Highway
Take a jeep from Tabing Ilog Market Terminal in Marilao going to Muzon. From Muzon take a jeep to Tungko where you will find the terminal going to Licao-Licao

From Quezon City
Take a bus to Tungko then on to a jeep to Licao-Licao. You will get off at the end of the line where you can start your hike.

Expenses

From McArthur Highway

    • Marilao to Muzon               Php 18
    • Muzon to Tungko               Php   7
    • Tungko to Licao-Licao      Php 27

From Quezon City

    • Cubao to Tungko                          Php 53
    • Tungko to Licao-Licao                Php 27

Registration

    • Registration #1 – Donation
    • Registration #2 – Php 10
    • Registration #3 – Php 20

Note: There’s also a way through Montalban though the author has yet to find more information about it.

Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

Mt. Balagbag Itinerary

How To Cross To Cambodia From Thailand

Crossing the Cambodian border from Thailand could be one of the most challenging border crossing one may experience, like how I did.

First off you need to get to Aranyaprateth, Your bus or van may drop you off at Aranya (possibly their nickname for the market area) and you would have to hire a tuktuk to get to the border it self. Some vans may drop you off at the Border like the one I took from Pattaya.

Find the entrance where it says departure and walk straight ahead. You’ll find a sign showing “Foreign Passports”, go up to the stairs -no photos and videos as soon as you enter the door; that’s the immigration area already. Line up and have your passports ready together with your departure cards to have it stamped. That’s it you are officially out of Thailand.

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As you exit the immigration building you will see the Cambodian border arch, walk straight past it going to the arrival area. If you are a non-ASEAN citizen or are needing a visa you may secure your visa at the building near after the arch. There are a lot of people at the Thai border who will try to sell you or scam you in getting a Cambodian visa so be very cautious.

The arrival area is just a small office, immeadiately secure an arrival card, fill it up then queue for the immigration officers. No fees should be collected at this point. I have heard some horror stories from fellow travelers that immigration officers ask for at least $1 for different reasons ranging from so called “Processing fees” to rediculous “First timer’s fees”

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Be cautious of touts as well, do not answer any greeting or question from strangers or they will follow you up till you actually get on a bus or taxi. I made the mistake of answering to a “Hello” then the next thing I knew is that there are three men following me trying to have me get their service.

Once you have processed your arrival you either take a shared taxi or a bus to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh or where ever you are bound to, at the international Bus Terminal (6kms away) by taking the FREE government bus or walk straight to the Vikram Buntham bus terminal just straight ahead down the road. Fare for this bus company ranges from 8-10 USD depending on what type of bus you will be taking.

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Always remember to check for your visa requirements and have enough money , be it local or USD -which ever is acceptable to your country of destination. It is important to know what you need to do and your rights specially when traveling cross borders to avoid being scammed.

Do you have a story or different experience in crossing the Cambodian border from Thailand? Let us know at the comment section!

How To Get To Khao San Road From Airport

There’s a couple of ways to get to the city from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, it is really up to you how would you want to navigate the city depending on how much time and convenience you are willing to let go. Here’s a couple of ways on how to get to Khao San Road from the airport.

Via Taxi

The most convenient yet expensive way to get to Khao San Road from the airport is by taking cab. Flag down rate starts at ฿ 35 while ฿ 6 is charged for every kilometer while a surcharge of ฿ 1.25 for every meter is applied if your vehicle is moving under 6 kph. You will also need to shoulder the toll fees for the expressway while you will be at the mercy of Bangkok’s famous traffic jams.

Via Bus

There are buses at the arrival area that you can ride taking you directly to Khao San Road. Fare is about ฿ 150 – 180 depending on the bus company. Compared to taxis they are more comfortable with bigger seats designed for trips, but just like the taxi travel time will depend on the traffic situation.

Via Train

First off, the train will NOT take you directly to Khao San road. You can take the airport train up to the end of the Airport Rail Link line which is the Phaya Thai station. From the Phaya Thai station, walk to the Victory Monument or take another train (just one station away ฿15) and take the 509 or 157 bus. Make sure to tell the conductor to unload you at the right stop. Fare from the airport to Phaya Thai station is ฿45 and the bus to Khao San road is ฿13

Victory Monument Bus Stop

 

Pagudpud Travel Guide: Itinerary and Expenses

The north of Luzon offers a diverse option on how to spend your holidays and one of the best way to lazy around is just bum around the beach, and Saud Beach in Ilocos is the perfect place to do such. However, why not maximize your stay at the northern region of Luzon and explore it’s unique tourist attractions.

Here’s a sample itinerary for you in exploring the Ilocos region in one go.

itininerary ilocos

Download The Ilocos Backpacking Itinerary

Easy Sagada Travel Guide

Sagada, a scenic town nestled up in the mountains of the Cordilleras are dreamed of a lot of people with the only thing holding them back are reasons such as it’s to far, too expensive, they don’t know how to get there, can’t join group tours because of time or simply because they don’t want to be stuck up moving with a bunch of people.

That is why we’ve came up with this Easy Sagada Travel Guide so you can plan your trip fitting your budget and time.

How To Get To Sagada

Step 1: Call Coda Bus Lines (0925-559-2197/ 0929-521-3229)

Coda buses will take you from Quezon City and unload you in Sagada, yes it’s that easy Sagada is just one ride away from Manila.

Call their Quezon City office and reserve your seats, no need to pay just tell them how many you need then reserve it under a name. Just be at the terminal at least an hour to make sure that they won’t give your seats away to chance passengers.

Oh, and on your way home, the bus will most likely to make a stop at the Banaue Rice Terreces view point where you can take photos!

Uhmmm…. yes there is no step 2 😉

Where to Stay in Sagada

If you are a bit adventurous, you can just walk around Sagada and find your room. If you are traveling on a weekday and off peak season you wouldn’t have to worry about not getting a room, you can even find rooms for as low as 250 pesos that are decent. The advantage here is that most of these dirt cheap rooms aren’t mostly found online.

On the other hand, if you are going there during peak season or you just want to be assured that you got a room to stay when you get there,  you might want to reserve your room ahead of time. You can also book here for the best prices

Sagada Hotel

Where to Eat in Sagada

Not many know that aside from being a scenic town, Sagada is aslo considred as a gastronomic destination. Translation? Food Trip baby! Notable establishments are Youghurt House, Lemon House and Sagada Brew. Plan your meals around a 300 peso figure and you’d be comfortable, but if food is not your priority then you’ll save some more! (Note: food in the public market/carinderia is about 60 pesos per serving of one viand w/o rice)

 

Sagada Food Trip

What to Do In Sagada

The best thing about tourism in Sagada is that it is well organized.

You will get off from the bus within the grounds near St. Mary’s church and from there find your way straight to the tourism office. You’ll need to register and pay the fees for your visit, remember to keep the receipt with you all the time as this will be asked to be presented from time to time whenever you go to spots.

Sagada Tourist Information Center

After settling in your room, find your way to the Sagada Genuine Guides Association (SaGGAss) office where you can book your adventures with a well trained guide.

For tours around Saggada, you can just hire a van for about 500 pesos that can take you around those spots that does not need guides (Lake Danum sunset, Sagada Pottery, Sagada Weaving etc) just make sure to map out your route first. Kiltepan peak can be done by foot (and you’ll find a lot just actually walk from the town center to Kiltepan peak ) or you can just take a jeep near the municipal hall.

Sagada Cave Connection

 

sagada tour

 

Safe Budget

For a solo traveler a rough estimate of about 5,000 pesos would suffice.

Ex.
RT Fare                                     1400
Cave Connection                      600
Hanging Coffins                      200
2 Nights Accomodation         600
Kiltepan Peak                           Free
Sagada Tour                              500
Food                                          1800 (your discretion if you wanna splurge but I strongly suggest you try the restos out)
Total                                         5100

For A group of 4
RT Fare                                   1400
Cave Connection                    150
Hanging Coffins                      50
2 Nights Accomodation      300
Kiltepan Peak                       Free
Sagada Tour                          125
Food                                    1800
Total                                   3825

 

You may want to note that the price for food did not change (Php 300 x 6 meals). This is because Sagada like I mentioned earlier offers really good food that even foreigners rave about, and you wouldn’t not want to miss how awesome the food is in Sagada!

Again this is just a rough estimate, price may increase or drop depending on the activities that you are wanting to do. For solo seasoned solo travelers, surely you’ll find a way to keep those activity prices down by being friendly right?

There you go, I’m pretty sure that with this guide you’ll find your way soon to Sagada, a place where nature co-exists with man in harmony.

P.S. Will update this post soon with an itinerary

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Got questions? Put them on the comment section, I’ll try my best answer them.

 

 

 

How to get to Madlum River + Mt. Manalmon

The infamous river of Bulacan that is believed to be mystical by a lot of people really is a beautiful and peaceful place to enjoy, nothing to be afraid of really. But of course conscious effort to be safe is needed like checking of weather like in any other trip is needed.how to go to manalmon or madlum river

So here’s a quick guide of how to get there if you’d like to enjoy the Madlum River or may be a quick day hike at Mt. Manalmon.

Jump off point: Cubao or any provincial bus stop along EDSA

> Take a bus bound to Tuguegarao or Cabanatuan and ask the conductor to drop you off at Bgy. Camias.

>From the crossroads of Bgy. Camias and DRT Highway take a tricycle to the Madlum River

>Fare price is 200 pesos per way and the tricycle can load up to four people at a time.

That’s it! You are can now marvel and enjoy the beauty of the Madlum river.

Mt. Manalmon Tips

Mt. Manalmon is just a quick day hike that you can couple with Mt. Gola. Be sure to Secure a permit for your hike days before you trek. You can email them at __________, wait for the confirmation then pick up your permit the same day of your hike at the site.

Guides costs 300 pesos per mountain/group of 4 and 40 pesos per cave/pax

Plan ahead of time and communicate early on to avoid hassle and delay on your hike. The mountain may not be that tall but rules are rules.

Do you have a tip for a day trip at Mt. Manalmon and/or Madlum river? Leave them at the comment section so we can include them!